Originally released November 16, 2020.
Winter can be the most expensive time to own a cow in the Midwest. As the season changes, five of our staff who also raise beef and dairy cows gathered to share the ways that they’ve found to reduce the cost (and labor) of wintering cattle on their unique operations. All five live in different parts of Minnesota and run pasture-based farms, some raising organic dairy, some grass-fed or grass-finished beef.
While there’s no one-size fits all management style to wintering livestock, the team discusses a variety of practices that have worked for them, including bale grazing, stockpiling perennial pasture to extend the grazing season, and the timing of calving. They’ve also found benefits extending beyond the cost savings of quality winter feed: Doug Voss finds that by bale grazing, he also saves on labor and improves the health of his herd. And farmers certainly don’t need to outwinter their cattle 100% of the time to start seeing the benefits--just making a few changes can show cost savings, a boost to herd health, and improvements in soil biology.
Jared Luhman, SFA Soil Health Lead
Angie Walter, Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship Central Minnesota Education Coordinator
Doug Voss, SFA Grazing Lead
Tyler Carlson, SFA Silvopasture & Agroforestry Lead
Kent Solberg, SFA Senior Technical Advisor
The viewpoints of the speakers expressed within or outside of this episode do not necessarily reflect the goals and mission of SFA.
Dirt Rich is produced by the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota.
If you enjoy Dirt Rich, consider supporting our work by becoming a member of SFA or donating at www.sfa-mn.org.
39: Building Relationships and Telling Your Story
Revisited: Planting Minnesota Garlic
38: Getting Water Quality Certified
37: Wisdom of the Prairie: Diversity, Connection, Community
36: Growing Grazing Dairy Farmers
35: Pastured Pork & an Incubator Farm
Revisited: Implementing Silvopasture
34: The Potential of Perennial Crops & Kernza
33: Growing a CSA from 8 to 80
32: A Chat with Gabe Brown
31: Managing Spring Grazing
30: Spring Break
29: From "Conventional" to Resilient
28: Saving Seed & Dancing Feet
27: Home on the Tree-Range
26: AMPed for Grazing!
25: Integrative Nutrition with Sara Keough
24: Restoring Oak Savanna
23: Oak Savanna Origins
22: Matchmaking for Livestock & Land
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Navigating Life After 40
Teaching Learning Leading K-12
Regenerative Skills
The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
The Mel Robbins Podcast